Report 1173
Report #1173 Skillset: Herbs Skill: New Org: Minstrels Status: Rejected Jun 2013 Furies' Decision: We want to hold off on this for now. We don't necessarily mind adding new herbs to those planes, but not just for the sake of adding them. We are also amenable to adding existing herbs to those planes. Problem: While the typical problem of "we want something someone else has" is often rejected, we thought it would be good to suggest new herbs to be found only on the planes of Fire and Air. Resistance to the effects of heat and high winds are difficult to come by and through this report, we'd like to see some solutions brought to the table. Solution #1: Add a new herb named Flameblossom (or somesuch) that would offer an increase to resistance to the effects of hot weather when eaten. Lore: The Flameblossom plant's inherent magical resistance to the constant heat of the Fire elemental plane can be passed on to those who eat it. Solution #2: Add a new herb named Cloudberry (or somesuch) that would offer an increase to resistance to the effects of high winds when eaten. Lore: The Cloudberry plant's inherent magical resistance to the constant winds of the Air elemental plane can be passed on to those who eat it. Player Comments: ---on 5/2 @ 18:20 writes: I'd prefer currently existing herbs being made available on Air and Fire. ---on 5/2 @ 18:42 writes: Agreeing with Veyrzhul ---on 5/2 @ 19:16 writes: Could you back that opinion up with some reasons? Thematically, I don't see it working as nothing would logically survive. (I know, magic.) Maybe you all don't deal with it often but there are no sources of resistance to High Winds and the few resistances we have to heat are pretty small. ---on 5/2 @ 19:30 writes: The main reason for me is that introducing new herbs just for the sake of there being something to harvest on Air and Fire seems unnecessary effort just to even out something that isn't really an imbalance to begin with. If there are really no suitable herbs for it (I'm indeed no expert on herbs), then I'd rather leave it as is. ---on 5/2 @ 19:54 writes: From Help 9.4.7: "Herbs are very susceptible to elemental magic and will slowly wither in locations where a mage has established a demesne. Also, herbs grow much slower on tainted ground. Those who know the Nature skill will be able to guard locations against elemental magic and fire." - Making pre-existing herbs suddenly able to grow on Fire/Air would be a pretty big stretch lorewise, and I can't think of a conceivable argument for earwort/merbloom to suddenly start growing on them either. If Kregarn wishes to dedicate his potential report for this month to this, then that is his decision, and I see no real issue with the herbs he is suggesting. ---on 5/3 @ 02:28 writes: Well yea, it's not a big issue either way. ---on 5/4 @ 02:30 writes: Yeah sure ---on 5/4 @ 03:30 writes: I would prefer if they were flameblossoms and cloudberries since they're plants that already thematically exist in other areas. ---on 5/4 @ 05:02 writes: I support this, with the caveat that Fierceweather negates the defenses. If you are in the demesne of a Shaman who has you enemied, you should be facing the full brunt of the weather. In every other situation, these defenses would be quite welcome! ---on 5/4 @ 17:51 writes: Flameblossoms and cloudberries would be great as names. As for fierceweather, if it also negates other defenses such as clothing and such, I don't see why it wouldn't in this instance. Not sure how that particular ability works. ---on 5/22 @ 19:56 writes: Supported, with the movement malus on Fire and Air (also in the Skarch and areas like Icewynd) these would be very welcome. ---on 6/6 @ 05:05 writes: Unlike adding new afflictions I don't feel adding new herbs complicates the game so I support this, especially as these herbs would not be mandatory for combat. I agree with Enyalida that this shouldn't impact shaman (and additionally pyro and aero) demesnes. ---on 6/11 @ 04:29 writes: I like this idea very much! Support solutions 1 and 2. I also agree with Enyalida that Shamanism shouldn't have its effects reduced by these two herbs. ---on 6/13 @ 23:07 writes: I'd like to see both of these. Although would a resistance to heat or a resistance to cold be more useful? ---on 6/21 @ 12:57 writes: Resistance to cold weather is actually easier to come by while resistance to heat isn't so much. ---on 6/30 @ 23:19 writes: Supported ---on 6/30 @ 23:25 writes: Additional herb ideas. Air herb could give a bit of tolerance to alcohol, an herb could give a bit of tolerance to insanity. A fire herb could give a defense which could backlash some damage when the target has been forcibly moved (summoned, etc) sort of like psymet mindfield. An herb could give fireblood, those causing the person to bleed take some damage as their victims blood sprays on them. ---on 6/30 @ 23:27 writes: I also wanted to point out that not everything needs to be a plant in the traditional sense. You could have a new mushroom, a type of resin or amber, ashes, feathers, embers, etcetera.